Ships from: San Antonio, TX
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Altoona, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Chatham, NJ
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: acton, MA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ann Yang, an emotionally stifled medical examiner, is facing her first big case in a Pennsylvania suburb not used to high-profile crime. Ann, who has an obsession for the past, doesn't see things through typical eyes.
The case has her new colleagues thwarted. A powerful and ruthless predator is abducting women and leaving their bodies in fields and stadiums, taunting investigators. And it looks like he's chosen Ann as his ultimate target.
Ann calls on her friend Tony Cole, a retired FBI profiler, for help. Together they track the killer through Doylestown and New Orleans suburbs. Ann begins past-life regressions, and under hypnosis, remembers being killed in several lifetimes--by the same killer. In her home, she finds a diary containing intimate details about the unsolved disappearance of a girl who lived there more than 100 years ago.
DO ANY OF US EVER KNOW WHO WE ARE?
As the case boils over, Ann finds herself falling for the easy magnetism and rugged charms of the carpenter remodeling her Victorian home even though she suspects he could be the killer. Edgy, erotic, and full of twists.
Anonymous
Posted June 6, 2007
Twists and turns so you can not make rash decisions and the suspense carries you along. Like reading two books for the price of one, as the journal with clues is as good as the story.You continue to search for clues and are completley surprised at the ending.Unusual as most books lead you right to the culprit.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 31, 2007
Dead On is a thrilling, intellectually fearless novel that seamlessly blends horror, mystery, and the paranormal, to deliver a fast paced, provocative and highly entertaining read. Ann Yang hoped to escape the ugliness of her divorce and start over in the quiet Pennsylvania suburb of Doylestown. Settling into her job as Medical Examiner, with renovations to her house underway, she was putting the past where it belonged... in the past. However, that notion is short lived as a ruthless killer begins to hone his sinister craft in Ann's backyard. When bodies are discovered, obviously staged, the killer's one-of-a-kind signature placed beneath the tongue, taunting police, Ann finds herself in the middle of a madman's reality. With her colleagues unaccustomed to high profile crimes and mystified by the murders, Ann calls on close friend and retired FBI profiler, Tony Cole for assistance. Together they follow the clues from Pennsylvania to New Orleans, only to find themselves wrapped in an unending enigma of impossible to answer questions. Adding yet another dimension to this multi-layered story is the discovery of an old diary that immediately captures Ann's attention and captivates her unusual abilities of perception. Dating back over a hundred years, the time worn pages reveal intimate details surrounding the disappearance of a young girl, which remained unsolved. Could this be related? Are the hypnosis induced visions of being murdered in past lives clouding or possibly shaping reality? The one thing that is abundantly clear this psychopath has Ann squarely in his sights and she has unwittingly become the ultimate pawn in a high stakes game of cat and mouse. The characters while sharply drawn are as fluid as the ink of this phenomenal author's pen. The expert use of dialogue brings the characters to life and delivers a disturbingly delicious reading experience. Although a quick read, Kelly spares no punches when it comes to complexity, depth and suspense. Palpable tension builds as the story speeds, almost recklessly toward the shocking but satisfying conclusion. Ann Kelly's tantalizing debut novel is well researched, intelligently portrayed and delivered with unbridled passion. The subtle clues embedded throughout keep the reader involved and guessing, without preemptive spoilers. The mystery within a mystery allows Kelly to simultaneously develop multiple angles, cleverly weaving an intricate web of murder and mayhem, past life regression and brilliant detection. Dead On is an absolute knock out! Happy Reading! RJ McGill
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 14, 2007
Ending Packs A Wallop! This book speaks the unexpected, in poetic form. Meticulously full of deliberation, extensive, yet firmly constructed¿the unknown is what keeps this book going, showboating mystery, illusion, alarm, surprisingly sensual, along with splashes of paranormal, while intimately painting the charm of Doylestown, PA. The first murder takes place at Fonthill Castle, which is, most assuredly real & definitely a castle. It was built by Mr. Henry Mercer in 1908. I can visualize a movie, the eerie old castle, the death-driven murder, cleverly slipping in & out each room of Fonthill. Slithering from the tour, without being seen, into a dusk ridden sky. Then, as fate would have it, he lurks, hidden in the trees behind the parking lot, waiting scrupulously to taste the blood of his first victim of this life. Man...if the right producer caught hold of this, using accurate lighting, gaining the quaintness of Doylestown, the movie would be like an anomaly in the rouse of suburbia. A challenge, even for Ron Howard! The psychology of this book is part of Kelly's polished technique, revisiting scenes of each life...each crime. It is... not only interesting, but what lies withering beneath the killer's madness, comes alive in your room. So, get comfortable, prop your feet up, with a nice glass of sherry, but...don't forget...to turn on the lights.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 9, 2007
Gripping obsession erodes the soul who becomes a serial killer, life after life, after life¿ This narrative conveys perspectives of several dramatic tensions and for me became sensationalistic with hardcore mystery and drama which keeps on moving with a hypnotizing depth. Kelly paints a scary portrait of a complex blood thirsty killer, bringing it all together, in epic height to an ending that completely knocks your socks off. So, get ready for total immersion into a continuous and successful murder mystery with a paranormal touch¿this was a fascinating indulgence.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 30, 2006
Dead On is a short thriller with plot twists and eccentric characters mashed against the inside covers, trying to escape to the big screen. William L. Petersen, Brian De Palma, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Michael Mann know these plots and characters well. A pretty, young medical examiner takes a new job in a new town after a less than happy marriage. She teams up with her old friend the retired FBI agent to track a serial killer that seems to be randomly leaving victims scattered about the city. The first clue to the killer's unique behavior is a button from a Civil War uniform left in the mouth of each murdered victim. The plot takes off from there, launching into X-Files territory with past-life regression and slicing through De Palmaland as if the killer was Dressed to Kill. The excessive use of italics and the distracting conceit of the inclusion of dictionary definitions for key words keep the book from earning five stars. If it ever becomes a movie, I shall definitely want to see it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 25, 2006
Dead on is just that - right on the money. The book is full of shocking suprises that takes the reader on a journey of suspense and mystery at every turn of the page. I especially liked this book because I grew up in the area it takes place in - beautiful Bucks County, Pennyslvania. The author uses the landscape to paint a picture that is easily seen by the reader's miind's eye. The author also did her homework in research and brings to the book an authenticity regarding her subject matter. Highly recommended!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 14, 2005
Kat Martin, a New York Times best-selling romance novelist, is one of [Kelly's] biggest fans. 'She's a brilliant writer,' Martin said in a phone interview from her home in Montana. 'No questions asked. She has a gift for the eerie. The words she chooses are absolutely brilliant. She has an incredible talent for stringing words together.'
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 22, 2004
The language play in the book adds to the intrigue and the fast pace. It's really two stories in one, and I can empathize with Ann Yang, the medical examiner investigating a series of brutal murders while at the same time being stalked by a killer who claims to have killed her before, in other lifetimes. At the end of the book, I was cheering for Ann!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 21, 2004
An emotionally stifled medical examiner faces her first big case in an upscale Pennsylvania suburb not used to high-profile crime. Ann, who has an obsession for the past, doesn¿t see things through typical eyes. The case has her new colleagues thwarted. A powerful and ruthless predator is abducting women and leaving their bodies artfully arranged in fields and football stadiums, taunting investigators. And it seems he¿s chosen Ann as his ultimate target. She begins past-life regressions, and under hypnosis, remembers being killed in several lifetimes¿by the same killer. As the case boils over, Ann finds herself falling for the effortless magnetism and rugged charms of the carpenter remodeling her home even though she suspects he could be the killer. The ending contains truly jarring surprises. Dead On is beautiful, scratchy, and raw, dealing with female desire and the complexity of love relationships. This mystery is like a great rock-and-roll tune. Gets the blood flowing and takes you on a real ride...it doesn't get any better than this.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
Ann Yang, an emotionally stifled medical examiner, is facing her first big case in a Pennsylvania suburb not used to high-profile crime. Ann, who has an obsession for the past, doesn't see things through typical eyes.
The case has her new colleagues thwarted. A powerful and ruthless predator is abducting women and leaving their bodies in fields and stadiums, taunting investigators. And ...